Method for producing a tobacco paste and reconstituted tobacco, tobacco-containing film, and system for producing reconstituted tobacco

Abstract

Method for producing a tobacco paste and reconstituted tobacco, a tobacco-containing film, film sections and films scraps, and a system for producing reconstituted tobacco. The method includes supplying a powdered material having a predefined particle size of less than 350 μm, wherein the powdered material comprises tobacco powder, supplying a highly viscous, water-based binder gel having a viscosity of at least 1000 cP, a water content of at least 50%, and at least one binder; and mixing the powdered material with the binder gel to form the tobacco paste that is substantially solid, wherein the tobacco paste has a water content or moisture content of at most 50%.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A method for producing a tobacco paste, the method comprises:
 supplying a powdered material having a predefined particle size of less than 350 μm, wherein the powdered material comprises tobacco powder,   supplying a highly viscous, water-based binder gel having a viscosity of at least 1000 cP, a water content of at least 50%, and at least one binder; and   mixing the powdered material with the binder gel to form the tobacco paste that is substantially solid, wherein the tobacco paste has a water content or moisture content of at most 50%.   
     
     
         2 . The method for producing the tobacco paste according to  claim 1 , wherein the tobacco paste is used to produce reconstituted tobacco. 
     
     
         3 . The method for producing the tobacco paste according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of:
 the predefined particle size is one of between 5 μm and 250 μm, or between 120 μm and 300 μm,   the powdered material comprises tobacco powder,   the highly viscous, water-based binder gel has a viscosity of between 10000 cP and 50000 cP,   the water content is between 60% and 80%, and   the at least one binder comprises at least one of guar meal or carboxymethylcellulose (CMC).   
     
     
         4 . The method for producing the tobacco paste according to  claim 1 , wherein the powdered material comprises tobacco powder and plant powder, wherein the plant powder comprises cellulose, and wherein a ratio of cellulose of the plant powder and tobacco powder is at most 20% and at least 2%. 
     
     
         5 . The method for producing the tobacco paste according to  claim 4 , wherein at least one of:
 the powdered material further comprises powdered additives;   the plant powder comprises cellulose, in at least one of powder or fiber form; or   the ratio of cellulose of the plant powder and tobacco powder is at most one of 12% or 8%, and at least 4%.   
     
     
         6 . The method for producing the tobacco paste according to  claim 1 , wherein the powdered material has a particle size of one of less than 350 μm, or between 5 μm and 250 μm. 
     
     
         7 . The method for producing the tobacco paste according to  claim 1 , wherein the powdered material has a moisture content or water content per unit of weight of one of less than 18%, or between 7% and 12%. 
     
     
         8 . The method for producing the tobacco paste according to  claim 1 , wherein the binder gel comprises a binder in a (wt. %) proportion of between 2% and 25%. 
     
     
         9 . The method for producing the tobacco paste according to  claim 1 , wherein the tobacco paste has a moisture content or water content of one of between 10% and 40%, or between 20% and 30%. 
     
     
         10 . A method for producing reconstituted tobacco, the method comprising:
 producing the tobacco paste according to method of  claim 1 , and   extruding the tobacco paste to form an extruded profile that at least one of is substantially solid or has a low water content of one of: at most 50%; between 10% and 40%; or between 20% and 30%.   
     
     
         11 . The method for producing reconstituted tobacco according to  claim 10 , wherein, during the extrusion, the tobacco paste at least one of:
 is brought to a temperature of one of between 20° C. and 60° C.; or between 30° C. and 40° C., or   has a pressure during extrusion of one of between 10 bar and 40 bar; or between 20 bar and 30 bar.   
     
     
         12 . The method for producing reconstituted tobacco according to  claim 10 , further comprising severing portions of the extruded profile to produce a series of portions of the tobacco paste,
 wherein each portion has at least one of:   one of at most 200 g; or at most 100 g; or   one of at most a volume of 10 cm 3 ; 8 cm 3 ; or 5 cm 3 .   
     
     
         13 . The method for producing reconstituted tobacco according to  claim 12 , further comprising smoothing at least one of the portions or the tobacco paste to form a flat web of material with at least one of:
 a thickness of one of at most 2 mm; at most 1.2 mm, or between 30 μm and 500 μm, or   a width of one of between 30 cm and 3 m, or between 30 cm and 2 m.   
     
     
         14 . The method for producing reconstituted tobacco according to  claim 13 , wherein at least one of:
 the at least one of the portions or the tobacco paste is smoothed by a rolling or smoothing process, or   the at least one of the portions or the tobacco paste has a moisture content of one of at most 30%, 35%, or between 25% and 30%.   
     
     
         15 . The method for producing reconstituted tobacco according to  claim 13 , further comprising:
 drying the flat web of material to form a dried web of material to at least one of a moisture content of less than 20% or between 4% and 16%.   
     
     
         16 . The method for producing reconstituted tobacco according to  claim 13 , further comprising winding up the flat web of material onto a bobbin. 
     
     
         17 . The method for producing reconstituted tobacco according to  claim 16 , wherein, before being wound up, both sides of the flat web of material or of a dried flat web of material are cut, such that a reconstituted tobacco film having a predefined and substantially constant width is produced. 
     
     
         18 . The method for producing reconstituted tobacco according to  claim 17 , wherein, before being wound up, the flat web of material or the dried flat web of material is cut into two or more webs of material of reconstituted tobacco film, and
 wherein the webs of material have a width that is at least one of between 100 mm and 300 mm, or between 120 mm and 250 mm and are wound up into bobbins separately from one another.   
     
     
         19 . The method for producing reconstituted tobacco according to  claim 18 , wherein the winding is implemented by a winding device comprising at least one winding hub and two or more webs of material of reconstituted tobacco film are arranged one next to the other on the same winding hub and each are wound up into bobbins. 
     
     
         20 . A tobacco-containing film, film sections, or film scraps, comprising:
 tobacco powder with a particle size of at least one of less than 350 μm or less than 250 μm, and with a weight percentage of a dry mass of the tobacco-containing film, film sections, or film scraps of at least one of between 65% and 90% or between 70% and 85%,   cellulose in particle or fiber form with an average particle size of at least one of less than 350 μm or less than 250 μm, with a weight percentage of the dry mass of the tobacco-containing film, film sections, or film scraps of between 3% and 10%,   a binder comprising at least one of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) or guar meal, the binder having a weight percentage of the dry mass of the tobacco-containing film, film sections, or film scraps of at least one of between 2% and 10% or between 4% and 8%,   wherein at least one of a proportion of cellulose is less than a proportion of binder, or a ratio of cellulose to tobacco powder is less than at least one of less than 1/14, less than 1/16, or less than 1/20.   
     
     
         21 . The tobacco-containing film, film sections, or film scraps according to  claim 20 , wherein the film, film sections, or film scraps have a density of at least one of between 500 mg/cm 3  and 1000 mg/cm 3  or between 700 mg/cm 3  and 950 mg/cm 3 . 
     
     
         22 . The tobacco-containing film, film sections, or film scraps, according to  claim 20 , wherein a mass to surface area ratio is greater than 0.05 mg/mm 2  and less than 0.088 mg/mm 2 . 
     
     
         23 . The tobacco-containing film sections or film scraps according to  claim 20 , having at least one of:
 a width of at most 2 mm and a length of at most 25 mm, or   a thickness of between 180 μm and 300 μm.   
     
     
         24 . A system for producing reconstituted tobacco, comprising:
 a material pulverization system, which is designed to generate a powdered material with a predefined particle size;   a gelling machine, which is designed to generate a highly viscous binder gel based on water;   a mixing unit, which is designed and configured to mix the powdered material from the material pulverization system with the binder gel from the gelling machine to form a tobacco paste.   
     
     
         25 . The system for producing reconstituted tobacco according to  claim 24 , wherein at least one of:
 the powdered material comprises at least one of tobacco powder or plant powder;   the highly viscous binder gel has a viscosity of at least one of at least 1000 cP, or between 10000 cP and 50000 cP; or   the tobacco paste is substantially solid and has a water or moisture content of at most 50%.   
     
     
         26 . The system for producing reconstituted tobacco according to  claim 24 , further comprising:
 an extrusion unit, which is designed to extrude the tobacco paste from the mixing unit and to press the paste out of an outlet, preferably an extrusion die, such that an extruded profile is produced from the tobacco paste,   wherein the extrusion unit comprises at least one of a pressure sensor, arranged adjacently to the outlet of the extrusion unit, or a temperature-control unit, which is designed to bring the tobacco paste in the extrusion unit to a temperature of at least one of between 20° C. and 60° C. or between 30° C. and 40° C. in at least one section or subregion of the extrusion unit.   
     
     
         27 . The system for producing reconstituted tobacco according to  claim 24 , further comprising:
 a fractioning unit, which is designed to divide up the profile extruded from the extrusion unit in order to generate a series of portions of tobacco paste, and comprises a rotating severing element with a rotating blade.   
     
     
         28 . The system for producing reconstituted tobacco according to  claim 24 , further comprising:
 a rolling or smoothing unit, which is designed to smooth or roll the portions of tobacco paste in order to generate a flat web of material, comprises a moisture sensor, which is connected to a central control unit in order to detect the moisture of the portions, tobacco paste, or flat web of material and to generate a signal to the gelling machine.   
     
     
         29 . The system for producing reconstituted tobacco according to  claim 24 , further comprising:
 a drying unit, which is suitable for drying the web of material generated by the rolling or smoothing unit such that the dried web of material has a moisture content of at least one of less than 20%, between 4% and 16%, or between 6% and 10%,   wherein the drying unit comprises at least one sensor which detects a moisture content of at least one of the dried web of material or a flat web of material, and which is connected to a central control unit and arranged at at least one of an entrance or at an exit of the drying unit.